Airplane engine arrangement



May 17,1932. G M BELLANCA 1,858,762

' AIRPLANE ENGINE ARRANGEMENT Filed June 7. 1930 I gmmto o W /wyiw/uw Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES PAJYTENTV OFF'I AIRPLANE ENGINE ARRANGEMENT Application filed June 7, 1930. Serial No. 459,743.

This invention relates in general to airplanes and more particularly'has reference to an improved arrangement for airplane motors.

Heretofore it has been customary to provide airplanes with one or more engines, each being connected with a propeller for driving the airplane. Because of the likelihood of any single engine becoming disabled during flight, an airplane in which the power is furnished by a plurality of independent units is obviously highly desirable.

Up to this time, multi-motored airplanes have been constructed with their respective power plants arranged in a number of different ways. Probably the most common of these has been the tri-motored type of plane carrying one motor on the nose of the fuselage and a motor on each wing at equal d1stances from the fuselage. Another type has been the bi-motored plane having one motor positioned on each wing at equal distances from the fuselage. Yet another type has been the multi-motored plane. I11 this type the motors are grouped in pairs on the wings, there being an even number of pairs so that the plane will be balanced. The respective pairs are arranged in tandem, so. that in each pair one motor operates a pushing propeller and the other a pulling propeller.

Although the arrangements of engines above discussed have secured some of the advantages of multiplying the number of independent units in airplanes, each of these also has certain pronounced drawbacks. Prominent among these is the inherent feature in each arrangement, except in the trimotored arrangement, whereby the resultant driving efiect of all the motors is thrown off center upon the failure of any single unit. This is also true of the tri-motored type of are, rangement except in the case where the motor which fails is the central motor.

It is also notedthat when the engines are mounted on the wings there arises the necessity for relatively heavy framing to support them, thus substantially increasing the weight of the plane. Furthermore, this framing as well as the motors themselves,

substantially of the airplane.

While engines arranged, in line and engines arranged side by side have proved very increases the total air resistance satisfactory in overcoming most of the above difiiculties, the arrangement of engines in line takes up a substantial amount of the avail able space within the fuselage, and the arrangement of engines side byside hasatendency to cause the resultant force applied to the airplane to become 'slightlyunbalanced' in the event of the failure of one of the motors. I i o It is apparent that any arrangement of a plurality of motors in an airplane in such a manner as to avoid the above mentioned difficulties would be highly desirable, f

To overcome the aboveand other'disadvantages in the prior arrangements of airplane motors is one of the objects of this invention. l a Another object of this invention is to pro- Vide an arrangement of motors in an air planewhereby the failure of one motor will not unbalance the resultant driving force ex:

erted on the plane.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement of the motors in an;

airplane whereby the application of force due to the action of the propeller connected with each individual motor is substantially 1n the same vertical plane longitudinally. of the airplane. l Q Another object of this invention is tofpro- Vide an arrangement of motors in an airplane whereby the application of force to an air plane bythe propeller connected to each individual motor is substantiallyalong a plane passing through the center of gravity, of. the airplane. Y Y I Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an arrangement of motors in an airplane in which the motors are not exposed to and do not interfere with the air stream; Another object. of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of motors in an airplane which it is not necessary to have heavy frame members for motor supports. i

'Withthe above and'other objects in view this invention comprehends an arrangement i. whichfar'e. lightness and ease of engines in an airplane in such a manner that under no circumstances can the balance of the resultant force applied to the airplane be disturbed.

To assist in an adequate understanding of this invention, and wishing it to be distinctly understood that various changes and modifications may bemade in the preferred embodiment herein shown by way of example without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention, referencexis made; to the ac w companying drawings in which similar numerals indicate correspondingppartsx.

Figure 1 1s a dlagrammatic front vlew of an airplane of the monoplane-type:disclosing the novel arrangement of motors Within the "fuselage.

Figure 2is a diagrammatic side view o'f the structure shown in'Figure 1. I 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings there isgshown'in outline an airplane of the monoplane type having a fuselagel and a wing 2. This wing is provided with brace members-4 extending from its lower snrface'tothe lower portion of the fuselage. These brace members 4 are prefland'ing wheel 10 This tail structure is further braced againstlateral movements by means of the tension members 11 and 11a; As is well knowmthis outrigger type of em pennage has numerous advantages, among of control. It is also apparent that this construction enables a standardization in fuselage size and construction. As will hereinafter more fully appear, this'type of construction is also well adapted to my improved arrangement of motors and'prope'llers. v

At its 'forward and rearward ends, the fuselagezis'provided with tractor and pusher propellers 12 and 13 respectively 'for driving the airplane. Within the fuselage there is arrangedthe engine 14 adjacent the nose of the fuselage for the purpose of driving the tractor propeller 12 through theintermedia'ry of the propeller shaftl15. Directly above the engine; 14 there is arranged a second engine 16 for the purpose of driving the'pnsher propeller 13 through the intermediary of the shaft 17. The shafts 15, and 17 are arranged extend along closely adjacent parallel lines so that each of the propellers attached to the respective shafts will act on the airplane to drive it in exactly the same direction. These engines may be of any well-known type, such as gasoline or Diesel and may be water-cooled.

It will be seen that there has been provided an arrangement of a plurality of motors in an airplane whereby in the event of the failure of one of the motors the other would continue to propel the plane in the same direc-tion, and the line of application of its pro pelling force would be substantially the same as the resultantline of application of the propelling forces of the two motors taken to- 'gether.

It will be seen that by arranging the motors ina vertical'ftier one above the other, I have secured the advantages of 'both 'the arrangement of motors in line an'dthe arrangement ofmotors side by sidewithin the V fuselage. In the arrangement of they motors one above the other, both motors can be arranged so as to'take up the least possible amount oi the available space within .the fuselage, and at the sametimeshould one of the motors fail for anyreason while the plane is in flight the direction'of force applied to the plane would not change,-nor-would the balance ofthisiforcelbe in any way disturbed.

It will further be seen that the mounting of the motors within the fuselagehasmadeit possible to mount them more directly upon the strong-frame of which the .tuselage isconstructed and to eliminate the necessity 'for heavy framework for supporting them outside of the fuselage;, f

Itis also apparent that by, placing the motorswithin the fuselage "the air resistance caused by themotors and bylanyframework tially eliminated.

,fAlso placing the motorswithin the, .fuselage has allowed the positioning of the-propellers or" the, airplane so that'the linejof thrust due tothe action of each propeller I passes substantially through the center of gravity of the airplaneas a whole,

, It will 'be appreciated that while the ve ntion has been shown as applied to an airplane of the monoplane type, it might as Well I be incorporated in'an airplane of'any other type commonly in use. v

It will further'be appreciated as aforementioned that various modifications and a1 terations may be made in the arrangement herein described without exceedingthe scope of the invention as definedby the appended claim, it being distinctly understood that the prior art and the-claim hereinincluded alone are to definitive of the invention.- -Iclaim: M f In an airpla'neh'aving a fuselage terminat provided for their support has been substan- 9 in'g adjacent-Itlie trailing edge ofthe wing,

supportimembers extending from said .tuselae'a n pe mag ied y id ppo members, aplurality of engines arranged one above the other Within the fuselage adapted to drive tractor and pusher propellers respectively, the engines being equidistant from a plane passing through the horizontal center of the fuselage and lying in a central vertical plane, the pusher propeller being located in the space between the support members so that the slip stream therefrom is substantially unobstructed for impingement on the empennage.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GUISEPPE M. BELLANCA. 

